Empty
by M. Marchand
Summary: A modern fairy tale. Amita goes missing and Charlie won't rest until he finds her, even if no one believes him.
1. Chapter 1

Acknowledgements:  
Omi as always  
To the entire BTN Beta Team for putting up with me and this fic!  
Special thanks to Betas Becky, Mel, Ecri, Dana, and Kim  
You all worked hard to turn my unloved fic into a rather nice little story 

Disclaimers:  
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
I do not own the characters Charlie, Amita or Don nor do I have any  
rights to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use  
and claim only my own writing and characters.

* * *

Chapter One:

Sunday Morning

"Don! This is serious! I need your help!"

"Charlie, what do you want me to do? I think you're overreacting."

"Overreacting? Amita's been missing for two days now. How is that overreacting?"

"You don't know she's missing, Charlie. You just don't know where she is, that's all."

Charlie had come to his brother's apartment seeking help in finding Amita. He hadn't expected a lecture, but that was all Don was offering him. He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. How could he make Don see? Amita wouldn't just disappear like that. When she said she was going to be somewhere she was there. She was a rock. Charlie's rock. She wouldn't just leave him like that.

"Don, there is no way Amita would just forget about all the plans she had this weekend with me, with her roommate, with her friends, and just take off."

Don took a moment to pour himself another cup of coffee before he settled back down at the kitchen table. "Look Charlie, Amita's roommate said that her overnight bag was gone and that she'd borrowed some of her camping gear Friday morning. To me that sounds like she got out of town for a while."

"She didn't take a tent! She didn't take all the camping gear, just a sleeping bag and a few flashlights. That doesn't equal a trip."

"No, but an overnight bag does. Charlie, it's Sunday. I'm sure she'll waltz into your office tomorrow with some story about a bachelorette party or something she forgot was going on this weekend. You'll see."

Charlie fell into a sullen silence and twisted his coffee mug around and around in his hands in a nervous circle. Don sighed. "You did file a missing persons report with the police, right?"

Charlie nodded. "Her roommate wasn't going to so I did. They made me wait 24 hours but then they let me file one."

"Charlie, there's a good reason for the 24 hour wait. It's because there usually hasn't been a disappearance and it's just a miscommunication. You're just reading more into this than is there," Don said patiently.

Charlie paused for a moment, thinking. "Don..." Charlie's voice grew quiet and frightened. "When you said before... about Amita... that if I wasn't careful someone would snatch her up?"

"Ah buddy, no! Don't think like that! Nobody's got Amita. She's just out of cell phone range or something. She does have a life outside of Cal Sci, you know."

Charlie stood up and began to pace, his anxious energy making him restless. "Yes, she does. So, if she's not with me, shouldn't she be with these other people? Her roommate gave me her phone book and I called all her friends. Amita had plans with these people for this weekend and she never called them. Amita! The woman who remembers all of my appointments in addition to her own! She wouldn't forget these things!"

"Calm down, Charlie. You're not making things any better by panicking. You checked with her friends, right?"

"Yeah, I called all the numbers in her book."

"Did you check her email? Maybe she made plans with someone and tried to email people to let them know her plans had changed. Maybe her email just never got through."

"I got her laptop from her roommate but I can't hack the password to get in. Amita's too good with computers."

Charlie continued his frenetic pacing, frustrated and annoyed at his helplessness.

Don paused for a moment before he finally stood up and put out a hand to bring Charlie to a halt.

"Charlie, listen to me. Just stop walking for a minute, okay? I'm going to help you with this."

Don grabbed a piece of notepaper and a pen from beside his phone. He wrote an email address on the paper and handed it to Charlie.

"Listen carefully. Send an email to this address. Do not send it from home or from Cal Sci. Create a brand new email address on one of the free services and don't put any real information in it at all. Nothing, Charlie, make it all up. Send them an email from that service from some public Internet terminal that can't be traced back to you in any way. The ones at the library are good for this. Tell them you need to hack a password on a laptop and give them any info you know about the laptop: make, model, wireless networking, operating system... Tell them that this is a favor for Brown Bear and then wait for them to respond. They should get back to you within a few minutes."

"Brown Bear?"

"Charlie, it's best if you don't ask questions. Let's just say my work brings me into contact with hackers from time to time and not all of them are white hats."

* * *

Previous Friday Afternoon

Amita arrived at her cousin's new house in San Marino and let herself in with the key the real estate agent had given her that morning. She had been shocked that her cousin and her husband had bought the house without ever having been there in person. She was surprised again when escrow suddenly closed early. Now that they were the owners, they were concerned about the house sitting empty until they arrived from India on Monday. Since Amita was the only person they knew well in that area, she was the only one they could trust with such a major investment.

"The house looks fine, Jaya!" Amita pocketed the key and wandered around the downstairs with her cell phone. "Honestly, nothing's going to happen to an empty house over a weekend." She stifled a groan as she listened to her cousin ramble about vandalism in California. "It'll be fine! I'm spending every night here until you arrive so no one's going to think the house is vacant, okay? I'm even parking my car in the driveway instead of the garage so it looks like someone is home."

She walked into the kitchen and flipped the switch to turn on the overhead lights. Nothing. "You were right, they didn't get the electricity turned on yet. Glad I brought flashlights." She walked over to the sink and turned the tap on and off. "Water's on at least. That's good."

She listened for a while longer then interrupted her cousin. "Jaya, really. It's fine. I have plans for this weekend but only during the day. I should be back at the house well before nightfall so don't worry about me or the house, okay? Just don't miss your plane! I'm looking forward to seeing you and Dev on Monday. Give my love to Mom and Dad and everyone... Bye!"

Amita looked around the empty house and sighed. This wasn't what she had planned for the weekend but at least she didn't have to cancel her morning or afternoon appointments. She had a thesis review session scheduled with Charlie in the morning and after putting it off to work on FBI cases they'd finally found some time to be alone together, even if it was to work on her thesis.

She carried her sleeping bag and overnight bag up to the third floor bedroom with the glorious mountain view. If she was going to be stuck here for the weekend, she might as well enjoy the view. Besides, the stairs would be good exercise.

* * *

Sunday Morning

Thankfully, Charlie hadn't had to wait long for a free computer at the library. He quickly sat down and created a new email account then typed up his email. He'd already written up detailed notes on what he knew about Amita's laptop, her Wi-Fi card type, operating system... He even included an overview of her skill level so the hacker would have an idea what he was up against. He clicked on send and waited with anticipation for any reply that might help him find Amita.

* * *

Previous Friday Night

Amita let out a groan of frustration when she pulled her cell phone charger out of her bag. She'd forgotten to charge the phone earlier and now she had a charger but no electricity. The battery on her cell phone was so low it would surely be dead by morning.

She sat in the top floor bedroom with her possessions arranged around the room. She'd had the good sense to get everything set up while there was still light in the sky and now she just had to eat dinner and go to bed.

Carrying a flashlight, Amita made her way down to the first floor kitchen. She'd only packed a small cooler of food, figuring she'd order in the next two nights. But now that her phone was dead, she thought perhaps she should bring more food home with her tomorrow after going to the museum with her friends. Maybe she could plug in her cell phone charger for an hour at Charlie's office in the morning. That might hold her for a day or so.

* * *

Sunday Morning

When the email appeared in his inbox Charlie opened it anxiously. It said only the following:

'Boot it up then click here.'

Charlie looked nervously around the library but pulled out the laptop and turned it on. A flashing light told him its wireless networking card was functioning. Once it got to the screen requesting a password he clicked on the link in the library PC email.

For a few seconds nothing happened, and then Charlie saw the laptop screen change. He tried to follow what was happening on the screen but it all went by too fast.

Finally, a box popped up on the screen. 'Password is: 662610343637'

Charlie memorized the number instantly, but wrote it down anyway just to be safe. The first part of the password was obviously drawn from Planck's constant, but the additional 3637 was extraneous. 'Of course', Charlie realized, 'those are the numbers we argued about during the train sabotage case.' Amita had been right, and Charlie had been wrong, so of course she'd want to remind herself of that rare moment every day when she logged into her laptop.

Charlie quickly used the password to access Amita's email. While it was downloading new messages, he took a few seconds to reply to the email on the library PC to say thank you.

He sent the message and almost immediately got an error message back saying that that domain name didn't exist. Charlie was shocked. This was some serious hacker.

Charlie scanned Amita's incoming email, but didn't see much that looked relevant. He switched views to look at her sent mail next. He found what he was looking for almost immediately in an email to her cousin Jaya in India.

He scribbled the address in San Marino on a piece of paper, and for the first time in his life was angry with himself for not having a car.

* * *

Previous Saturday Morning

Not having an alarm clock to wake her, Amita woke with the sun. The lack of blinds in the room ensured that. She tried to sit up but felt feverish and woozy. "Damn it..." she grumbled to herself. "Like I needed that this weekend." She'd been feeling under the weather for days but had pushed it aside to keep working. Evidently, whatever she'd been fighting off had caught up with her overnight.

Her head spun so badly she simply lay back down. She picked up her phone and checked the battery. Dead, just as she'd expected. She sighed. Well, Charlie might wonder what happened to her, but then he'd get caught up in some equation and forget they even scheduled this review session.

Sleep... Now that sounded good. She'd sleep for a while longer then drive back home to grab some cold medicine.

Amita pulled a sleeping blindfold out of her overnight bag, put it on, and fell back into a dead sleep.

* * *

Sunday Morning

Charlie paced outside the library waiting for Don to come pick him up. San Marino was way too far to ride on his bike, and a taxi would take too long to show up.

This was maddening! He knew where Amita was but not what had happened to her. Why hadn't she called? Why hadn't she shown up for any of her appointments? Had she even made it to the place she was supposed to housesitting?

Don pulled up to the curb and Charlie quickly jumped in.

"What about your bike?" Don asked.

"Just drive!" Charlie yelled. "Go!"

* * *

Previous Saturday Night

When Amita woke next, it was dark again. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up but fell back, too dizzy to rise. Her head swam and she took a moment to try to collect herself and felt a little alarmed when it wasn't as easy as it should have been. Slowly, she made her way to the bathroom, clutching a flashlight in one hand and holding herself up against the wall with the other.

After drinking a little water, Amita felt somewhat steadier and decided to go downstairs to get something to eat. There wasn't much left from the night before, but she was starving after not having eaten all day.

She made it down to the first of several landings on the stairs and regretted not grabbing a sweater. The top of the house was much warmer than the lower stories and in her tank top, pajama bottoms, and bare feet she could feel the difference right away. She turned to head back up the stairs, but going up them was far more taxing than going down. "Ah, forget it..." she mumbled. She turned around and headed back down the stairs, going a little too quickly out of frustration, which made her head hurt. She took her hand off the railing for a second to rub her temple. Suddenly her vision darkened and felt herself began to collapse. She blindly put out her hand for the railing to break her fall but just missed it, frantic as her fingertips merely brushed against it, slipped and found only empty air. The flashlight fell from her grasp and she tumbled down the stairs, pain flashing through her leg then her head. When her body came to rest the only sound left was the thumping of the flashlight preceding her the rest of the way down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

Empty 2/3

* * *

Chapter Two:

Sunday Morning

"Charlie, you can't just break a window! That's against the law!"

"Don, her car is here and she's not answering the door!"

"That could mean a lot of things."

"You're in law enforcement. Can't you just break in?"

Charlie was checking all of the front windows, hoping to be able to see though them but all the windows appeared to be covered with thick drapes.

Don made an exasperated noise and shook his head. "I have to have probable cause, some reason to suspect there's something's amiss in there."

Charlie headed around the side of the house. "I'm going to check out the back."

"Technically, this is trespassing."

Charlie just kept walking. "Don, it's Amita's cousin's house, and she happens to be on a plane at the moment. I think trespassing is the least of my concerns right now."

Don followed Charlie to the back of the house, looking in the windows as he passed.

Charlie looked though each of the back windows in turn, rapping on them and calling out Amita's name. The kitchen was empty as was the dining room.

"I don't see her," Don said. "The place looks deserted."

Shielding his eyes against the glare of the sun, Charlie looked through a living room window and saw something that gave him a chill. He quickly pulled Don over to look at what he saw. "Is that probable cause enough for you?"

Inside there was a flashlight laying on the second lowest stair, its light still burning brightly despite the morning sun.

"Good enough for me."

Don got the back door open and Charlie burst through it, running for the stairs. He made it to the first landing, turned to go up the next flight, and instead froze in place.

"Charlie, what is it?"

The shock of his worst fears realized overwhelmed Charlie. He couldn't move, couldn't speak... Don followed him up the stairs to see for himself.

The deathly still form of Amita was sprawled out on the stairs before them.

Just as Charlie broke free from his trance, Don flipped open his cell phone and dialed 911.

"We need an ambulance..."

Charlie crouched down to touch Amita's neck gently. There was a pulse. Charlie let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding all weekend.

He quickly worked his way around her so he was beside her instead of below her.

"Amita? Can you hear me?" He cupped her face with his hand and she responded by turning into its warmth. She let out a small groan and Charlie felt his heart in his throat.

"Don't move her!" Don admonished him. "The ambulance is on its way!"

"Amita? Please say something..." Charlie was aching with the need to hear her speak, to know she'd be all right.

"Charlie?" Amita's voice was barely a whisper but Charlie latched on to that one word like a life preserver.

"I'm here... I'm here... It's okay..."

With Amita's feedback, Don went through a triage checklist on her and discovered her only injuries were a concussion and possible fractured tibia in her right leg.

Don brought a blanket in from the car and he allowed Charlie to gently lift her up and carry her downstairs where she could be warmed up and made more comfortable while waiting for the ambulance.

As Charlie carried her down the stairs, she fought to keep her eyes open. Something about the look on Charlie's face made her want to remember it forever, keep it in a corner of her mind to call up when things got rough. "I didn't think you'd miss me..." she admitted. "I figured you'd just forget."

Charlie choked down the knot that rose in his throat. "I could never forget you, Amita." His lips brushed gently across her forehead and she closed her eyes, secure in the warmth of his arms.

* * *

Sunday Afternoon

"Yeah okay, thanks..." Don closed his cell phone and turned to Charlie. "So I had the LAPD close out the missing person's report on Amita. Her roommate said she's called all her friends, but she's not calling her family in India yet. Apparently ratting Amita out back home is a crime punishable by death to her friends."

Charlie nodded. "I can imagine that. They'd be on the first plane out to come take her home with them."

"Her roommate is going to meet the cousin at the house and let her know what happened since she's expecting Amita to be there when they arrive from the airport."

"Thanks, Don. I just couldn't face doing all the phone calls and stuff."

"No problem, buddy. Has her fever come down yet?"

"Only to 103 from 104 when she was brought in. It's going to be at least a few hours until her fever breaks."

Don nodded. "I'm glad she's going to be okay. I'm sorry I doubted you, Charlie."

"The probability was in your favor but..."

"But your gut told you otherwise?"

"Yeah," Charlie admitted a bit sheepishly. It wasn't like him to go against the numbers.

Don gave his brother's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Welcome to my world, buddy. I guess you really have learned a lot from me."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed with a smile.

"Anything else I can do?"

"For Amita, no. The doctors told me it's just waiting the fever out at this point now that she's got her cast on."

Charlie walked his brother out into the hallway.

"But I do have a big favor to ask of you. It's for me, actually, and it involves your car..."

* * *

Sunday Evening

'Falling...No!'

Amita woke with a gasp and bolted upright. Pain slashed through her head and she cried out. Strong arms wrapped around her and eased her back down onto the bed.

"Charlie..."

"I'm here, Amita..."

She settled back down against her pillows, taking a moment to let the pain recede.

"Should I call the doctor?"

"No, no... I just had a nightmare. I was falling... I fell..."

Suddenly the last few days came back to her and she looked up at Charlie abruptly.

"You did fall," he explained gently.

"Yeah... I remember now..." This time when she took a moment to clear her head, it actually did clear a little.

"Your fever finally broke about an hour ago," Charlie continued. "Your leg is in a cast. You have a fractured tibia and a concussion."

Amita ran the events of the last few days over in her head. "How did you find me? Jaya was the only one who knew about me housesitting for them."

"Let's just say that an unstoppable force met up with a resourceful FBI agent and we figured it out."

"You hacked my email?"

"Essentially."

Amita smiled.

"3637?" Charlie teased.

Amita almost blushed. "I was right..."

"Yes, you were," Charlie said graciously. "I was looking at it in too narrow a focus. I'm trying not to be so... so nearsighted any more," he said, looking at her with another expression she wanted to catalog away with the rest of her favorite sights in life.

Charlie looked like he was going to say more but when he didn't, Amita asked, "So that's how you found me. Why did you think to even look for me? I mean, sure, I missed our review session Saturday morning but I figured you'd just work on something else and forget about it until you saw me next."

"Is that what you thought? That I'd just get distracted by some equation and forget you were coming to see me?"

Amita nodded, feeling guilty even though it was the truth.

"Amita..." Charlie seemed to have trouble figuring out what to say. "I didn't forget you. I waited for you and you never showed, never called. I called your cell phone repeatedly. I tried to work on some equations but... The office just felt so empty without you there. So I just couldn't..."

"Charlie, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"What, that when I think of you I can't think about math?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"Amita..." Charlie's expression seemed pained, as if what he had to say was very difficult for him. "When I saw you on the stairs..." Charlie stopped speaking as he got choked up, grasping her hand tightly as if to pull strength from the bond there. "I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I was so sure..."

Charlie hung his head, he just couldn't go on.

"Oh, Charlie..."

Charlie took a breath and pulled himself together. "I was so sure you were dead and that was it, you know? I was too late. There was so much I wanted to say to you, so much I had hoped for the future and suddenly... suddenly it looked like there was no more future. For you or for us."

"Charlie, please..."

"There were things I always planned on telling you. Once you got your doctorate and I wasn't just your thesis advisor..."

Amita reached up, pulled him down towards her, and stopped him with a kiss. Although startled at first, Charlie quickly warmed to the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and burying his hands in her soft hair. In the end, it was Amita's turn to be overwhelmed. She'd imagined his kisses for years, but the reality far outshone the fantasy.

When they broke apart, she whispered to him, "Charlie, you've never been just my thesis advisor."

Charlie paused for a moment then asked, "Amita, do you remember when you said that the direct approach works for the right guy?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Will it work for me?"

"Yes," she answered, breathlessly.

He pulled back enough to gaze into her eyes and spoke.

"Amita, I'm in love with you. There. I've said it out loud. I love you. I love you so much I thought I'd die myself when I thought you were dead. I love you so much I've purposefully buried my feelings rather than risk your doctorate being tainted. I love you so much I spent the last two days frantic, trying to convince the world you needed help when no one believed me. I wasn't able to think, sleep, or eat not knowing where you were. And if that makes some Hindu banker in Goa a very unhappy man then I'm glad."

He paused for a moment. "Please tell me that worked."

Amita smiled up at him. "It didn't have to. You had me already. I think I loved you before I even met you. I followed your work before I came to Cal Sci and came there partly because of your reputation. I'd have done anything to have you as my thesis advisor. Then to find out you're not just brilliant you're funny, sensitive and incredibly good-looking... I was lost. Charlie, I love you. I just feel bad my stupid thesis kept me from telling you all this time."

"Your thesis isn't stupid, Amita. It's actually quite..."

"Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"No math..."

"Right..."

They kissed again, slowly, gaining familiarity with each other with every passing second, almost as if they were merely remembering instead of learning each other anew.

"So for a guy who's better with numbers than with words, how did I do with the direct approach?"

"Charlie, I've heard wedding vows that weren't as romantic as what you said to me. I hope I'll never forget it as long as I live."

"That sounds more like a wedding vow," Charlie smiled.

Amita shrugged. "Some things require repeated experimentation before the final desired result is achieved."

Charlie smiled. "Some things... but when the experimentation is so enjoyable, what's the rush?" He leaned in and kissed her again.

"I meant the vows, Charlie," Amita chided when he let her come up for air.

"I've got mine," he said. "You just let me know how long you need to work on yours..."


	3. Chapter 3

Empty 3/3

* * *

Chapter Three:

Wednesday Afternoon

"Jaya! Stop fussing. We just need to get me to the car and then they'll let me out of the wheelchair. It's just procedure."

"Oh, goodness, Amita! Seeing you in that chair, it makes my heart go so fast! If your mother knew..." Jaya's hands fluttered with nervous activity despite Amita's admonishments.

"Jaya, you promised not to tell anyone back home!"

The older woman shook her head in disbelief. "A promise I will regret to my grave, I tell you!"

"Dev, where did Charlie disappear to?"

Much calmer than his wife, Dev merely shrugged. "He's getting the car, I think."

"No, seriously, Dev, where's Charlie?"

The hospital double doors opened with a push of a button and Amita was wheeled out to the parking lot where an impossible sight met her eyes.

Charlie drove up right in front of them and hopped out of a brand new silver Volvo SUV.

"But he doesn't even have a driver's license!" Amita protested in disbelief.

"Oh, dear!" Jaya said, surprised. "I didn't know that. Still, on the way here he drove much better than anyone in Chennai so I'm sure it's safe."

"Safe!" Charlie echoed. "This car is possibly the safest car on the market right now. It's even silver which is statistically the safest color."

"But you don't have a driver's license!" Amita couldn't seem to wrap her head around this new development.

Charlie put his hands on the arms of her wheelchair and leaned in close. "The Department of Motor Vehicles of the State of California, and I, beg to differ." He gave her a quick kiss and pulled away, taking her crutches from Dev and putting them in the back.

Amita just sat there stunned. Charlie had gotten his driver's license and bought a new car in just two days so he could drive her home from the hospital. That was definitely going on the list of things to remember forever.

"Okay, the passenger seat is already moved back, we just need to get you in the car." Charlie reached down and scooped her up and placed her gently in the car, making sure her cast cleared any obstacles.

It only took a few minutes of driving for Amita to relax. It was painfully obvious that Charlie was a cautious yet confident driver. The trip back to San Marino didn't take long, but Amita was glad to be out of the car just so she could lie down again.

When they entered the house, the same way she had exited it ironically - in Charlie's arms, she made him carry her around the living room for a brief tour. Jaya and Dev's furniture had been delivered and the professional relocation company had done an amazing job, even hanging the artwork for them.

"You like, yes?" Dev asked her, beaming with pride at how nice their new house looked.

"It reminds me of home," Amita smiled, letting her head fall on Charlie's shoulder.

"I think she needs to rest, Mr. Srivatsa."

"Oh please, Charles, you must call me Dev. You are like family to us already. The guest room is this way. Follow me!"

Charlie smiled at Dev's kind words and started carrying Amita towards the first floor guest room. As they passed the stairwell, Charlie couldn't help but pause and Amita couldn't help but look.

"Are you going to be okay staying here?" he asked her quietly.

"Jaya's family," she nodded. "That makes all the difference."

He nodded back to her and carried her into the room.

Dev pulled back the covers in preparation for Charlie to place Amita on the bed, which he did, very carefully.

Jaya came in carrying Amita's crutches. She left them next to the bed where Amita could reach them if she needed them.

"I have dough for naan rising in the kitchen. Do you have any special requests for dinner, Amita?''

She shook her head. "Jaya, home baked naan is more than I could ask for already. I'm sure whatever you make will be great."

"Then rest, my dear. I have left you a bell. You must ring for us if you need anything at all. Any time of night, yes?

"Yes, Jaya. I'll ring."

Dev and Jaya each kissed Amita and left her and Charlie alone in the room.

Charlie picked up the bell and looked over its engravings. "The detail on this is amazing."

"Where I come from that bell is just average. The hand craftsmanship of the really nice work would truly amaze you."

Charlie put the bell down as Amita tapped his arm.

"You bought a car. You got your license and bought a car. In two days." She still couldn't believe it.

"I suddenly realized I really needed a car."

"When you knew I'd need a ride home from the hospital?"

"No," Charlie's voice got serious. "When I knew you might be in trouble in San Marino and I was stuck in Pasadena with no way to get there."

"Oh." Amita hadn't thought of that. She'd just assumed that Don and Charlie were already together when they came for her.

"It was time. I own a house now and I have someone I love in my life..." He stopped to kiss her gently. "And it's time I started embracing adult responsibilities. I'm a grown man and I wouldn't be showing you proper respect if I just treated you like my eternal chauffeur. Besides, someone has to get you around with that cast for the next few weeks. I wasn't going to just sit on the sidelines and expect someone else to step up and take care of you."

"I'm touched."

"I'm glad." He kissed her again, this time slowly.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, Amita?"

"What you said before, in the hospital, about making the banker in Goa an unhappy man?"

"He found out about us already?"

"No, I mean, that's not what I wanted to know."

Charlie got up, closed the door, came back, and lay down on the bed alongside Amita. He laid his hand flat on her stomach in a gesture both intimate and protective. It made Amita's stomach flutter with butterflies as he started moving his hand in small circles

"Are you asking me what my intentions are?"

"Yes," Amita could barely get the word out.

"Could you imagine in a million years that I'd only want you for sex and then dispose of you?"

She shook her head.

Charlie's hand slipped to her waist and he pulled her close to him.

He looked her in the eye and said, with all seriousness, "Amita. I am a patient man. I am going to wait until your leg heals. I am going to wait until you get your doctorate. I am even going to wait until the math community won't look down on you for being with me if that's what it takes. But when all that's done, Amita, I am going to propose to you in some amazingly inventive way that you will never forget and you will say yes. You and I are going to be married."

He leaned in close to her but instead of kissing her, his lips hovered just over hers as he spoke the final words. "Those are my intentions."

Amita pulled him the rest of the way down into an ecstatic kiss.

She was going to need more space in her book of memories.


End file.
